Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 First Impressions

The Clash of Ninja series has built a strong fan following since its North American debut on the GameCube in 2006. With Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3, our bright-eyed, orange-jumpsuit-wearing ninja is back in action and will make his debut online for the first time. We don't have too many details right now on how the Wi-Fi will work, but a representative from Tomy did stop by our office to give us an overview of what to expect in this upcoming Wii game.

By now, fans should be familiar with the Shippuden storyline, and if you're not, Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 will retell the events of the first story arc, in which you need to help rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki. The game continues the trend of being a fun and flashy fighting game, but what our Tomy rep wanted to point out was that this version is a combination of all the best aspects from the series with new additions. It has the classic gameplay feel from the original GameCube games, new content from the Japanese versions, and new mechanics and gameplay tweaks that will change the way you play.

Another new announcement is that Granny Chiyo will be added to the character roster. At this point in time, Tomy says there will be more than 35 characters. Granny Chiyo's moves are completely different from the other characters' moves, which is obvious as soon as you see her on the field. As a puppet master, she can't do much except guard and execute super moves, so her only offensive abilities are to use the puppets of Sasori's mother and father to attack. You can manage only one character at a time, so you'll have to micromanage her two puppets, while playing keep-away with Chiyo. Managing her properly is going to take practice, but we're sure Naruto fans have wanted to see Granny in action for a while now and are willing to put in the time.

Characters that you've become familiar with over the years have also received some updates. If you think you know how to handle Naruto, think again, because he's got brand-new super moves and combos. Kakashi has also been overhauled because Tomy felt that he had been underpowered for too long. He's now armed with some crazy elemental super moves and is able to mimic special abilities of other characters. Tomy wanted to tune and balance this game so that it would still be fun for the casual audience but would also provide a platform for the tournament community to compete on. Like Smash Bros., Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 is meant to be easy enough to pick up, but you have to notice and observe the nuances to master the game.

Other changes include the ability to assist in tag-team mode, in which your backup can jump in, help with a combo, and jump out. All the characters have custom throws now, and when you find your character on the flat of his or her back, he or she can now rebound quickly by teleporting or attacking. The game will feature the same modes as the previous Clash of Ninja Revolution, and you have the ability to adjust all the variables before a match begins to tailor the fight to your preferences. Tomy emphasized that this is not a recycled game from the Japanese version: there are new cinemas, story mode scenarios, and gameplay changes.

From what we've seen of Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3, fans will appreciate the new additions as well as the familiar modes from the previous games. The game looks good and will support all control schemes, including the GameCube controller, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Wii Remote without the Nunchuk, and the Classic Controller. We'll update you with more information once we learn more about friend codes, online ranked matches, and leaderboards. Look for Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 when it's released in October.